Credits: Imago

In his last year with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has had one of his worst starts to a season in his career. There hasn’t been a lot of improvement in terms of performances, even four races into the campaign. Still, Hamilton is optimistic about his chances at the 2024 Chinese GP.

The W15’s inherent characteristics that make it so weak, remain unchanged. However, Hamilton is hopeful that the lessons learned can help the team optimize the car, and maximize its performance at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Crediting hindsight and experience, Hamilton said (as reported by Junaid Samodien on X, “Nothing has changed about our car, it will be the same, but we understand it a little more. In the last grand prix, we made some improvements and we bring some of these lessons here.”

The Shanghai International Circuit has been re-surfaced ahead of F1’s return to China after five seasons. Tire-wear and aerodynamics will be essential for the race, which are two areas Mercedes has comprehensively struggled in so far this season. Hamilton’s optimism, as a result, may be unfounded.

The Brackley-based outfit hasn’t brought in any major upgrades either. Hence, their performance isn’t expected to be much better than it was in Suzuka two weeks ago, where Hamilton finished P7.

Moreover, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained that the W15 struggled to deal with the track temperatures during the Japanese GP. Conditions are not expected to be very different for the race in Shanghai, which is why Mercedes is likely to compete in the midfield again.

Grim reality overshadows Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ final season together

Currently, in terms of pure pace, the W15 seems to be the fifth-fastest car – and not consistently. From what was apparent at the Suzuka International Circuit, even its customer team Aston Martin has the legs on them.

Furthermore, Mercedes’ gap to the top three teams (Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren) is huge. Its main fight lies with Aston Martin, whom the Silver Arrows will aim to outperform at the Chinese GP.

An official announcement on when Mercedes plans to introduce upgrades on the W15 is not available as yet. However, given how fundamentally flawed its design philosophy has been since 2022, an upgrade package turning its fortunes around completely seems unlikely.